The Warrior Vampire(122)
“Don’t be so sure, Siobhan.” Naya couldn’t keep her mouth shut for another second. This female was out of her freaking mind if she thought she could talk to Ronan that way. “Like your Carrig said, I’m very powerful. I can see why you’re reluctant to let him go, though. Ronan is quite the skilled lover, isn’t he?”
Beside Naya, Ronan smirked. Arrogant male. A rush of delicious heat fanned out from her belly and spread between her thighs. The sooner they could get this situation resolved, the sooner they could return to his penthouse.
It was a wonder the female’s head hadn’t shot straight off of her shoulders from the rage that simmered under the surface of her calm façade. “Your bitch is obviously a good liar. I can’t even smell the deceit on her.”
“Make another disparaging remark about my mate, Siobhan, and it’ll be the last words you ever speak.”
She flounced back in her seat, clearly riled. Silver flickered in her eyes and Naya caught the slightest hint of fear in Siobhan’s expression. She should’ve been afraid. Ronan was as deadly a male as she’d ever met.
“I didn’t come here tonight to argue or play your games, Siobhan.” It was clear from Ronan’s tone that he wanted their business conducted as quickly as Naya did. “We have much to discuss, and I want our future dealings to be amicable. I’m not here to make demands. I’m here to make a deal.”
“I already told you, I’m not interested in your mate.”
Good gods. Was everything about sex with this female?
“As if I’d share her,” Ronan replied. “Come on, Siobhan. Stop being so damned stubborn and let’s talk business. I promise I can make it worth your while.”
“A trade?” she asked.
Ronan flashed a confident smile. “I can guarantee you, you’re going to want to see what’s behind door number one.”
A long stretch of silence weighed down the air as Siobhan considered Ronan’s offer. Her coven sat as still as statues, all eyes on her as they waited for her to make some grand proclamation. She certainly thought highly of herself, didn’t she?
“Everyone out!” The command brought instant action as dhampirs dropped from the ceiling and scurried out from shadowed corners like mice. They emptied the common area in a matter of seconds, leaving Ronan and Naya alone with Siobhan. Finally, they were getting somewhere.
* * *
“As an act of goodwill, so that I know you’re bargaining with me in good faith, I want you to tell me where you went and why.”
Never one to give up the upper hand, Ronan indulged Siobhan, but only because filling her in would only help to seal their bargain. “I went to Crescent City to find Chelle. She found something there. Something ancient. A relic so powerful that a crazed shifter thought to take it from her and use it for his own gain.”
Siobhan leaned forward in her seat. “Go on.”
Siobhan frequently used Chelle to recover relics for her. Ronan knew that Siobhan would take anything that had to do with his sister very seriously. “I could offer this relic to you. If you release me from my troth.”
A bark of disbelieving laughter escaped her mouth. “What relic would be worth sacrificing my favorite toy?” Her gaze slid to Naya, gauging her reaction. Ronan’s mate remained calm. She simply met Siobhan look for look. Naya was far too powerful to cower in the dhampir’s presence.
“You will,” Ronan said with confidence. “When I tell you what it is.”
“Well?” She flung her leg over the arm of the chair and settled back as though bored. “Are you going to tell me what it is or are you trying to kill me with suspense?”
“Chelle has found Set’s chest.”
“You lie.” Siobhan’s eyes grew large, her irises flashing silver.
“Do I?”
Siobhan beckoned him closer and Ronan grabbed Naya’s hand and urged her forward. When they approached the female’s makeshift throne, she shifted, her posture no longer relaxed but tense. Fear accented her fierce beauty, making her look almost softer. “Tell me everything,” she said. “And don’t leave out a single detail.”
* * *
Naya hadn’t spoken a word since they’d left Siobhan’s. They were nearly to Mikhail’s house, and Ronan didn’t want to meet with his king if something weighed on Naya’s mind. He didn’t want to push her, but gods damn it, her silence was killing him. Her annoyance and discomfort pulled at their tether. Damn it, why wouldn’t she talk to him?
Siobhan had been delighted to take Set’s chest in exchange for releasing Ronan. Mikhail was going to blow a gasket when he found out, but in Ronan’s opinion the relic was safer with Siobhan than anyone else. Her abhorrence for vampire-kind ensured that the chest would never be put to use. Chelle was proof that a vampire made from the magic contained in the chest was a volatile creature with insatiable thirst. Ronan knew that darkness. It lived inside of him now and probably always would. It was a weakness he would need to master, and he thanked the gods that he was given a mate who could help him shoulder the burden of that force that lived inside of him. He could only hope that his sister found a mate with equal strength.